All Ryonet squeegees are made from the high quality polyurethane blade. Ryonet carries 4 different types of squeegee durometer: 60 duromater (orange), 70 durometer (yellow), 80 durometer (green), and 70/90/70 triple durometer. Squeegee durometer is the squeegee "hardness," that determines the amount of pressure required to push ink through mesh. In general, soft squeegees leave a thicker ink deposit, while hard squeegees deposit a thinner amount.

What durometer should you use?

60 durometer is the softest and leaves a minimal ink deposit, its great for very thin ink and water based inks. 70 durometer is by most popular and versitile in the garment industry, its a great general purpose blade for just about everything. 80 durometer provides a stronger force and larger deposit for thick opaque inks. 70/90/70 triple durometer gives you a soft edge with a hard center for optimal control.

Maintenance

Achieving the best screen printing performance and productivity is greatly dependent on the selection of the correct squeegee for the application and proper squeegee maintenance. When printing, monitor production time and rotate squeegees frequently. (The necessary rotation frequency is dependent on the ink / solvent system involved in the application) By doing so, you will achieve a more uniform print quality and increase the life of your squeegees. A squeegee should always be wiped clean and dry following removal from the press and stored in a dry environment at room temperature. The blade should be allowed to recover from the ink and solvent attack and rest for a period of 24 hours. It can then be placed back into production, or if necessary re-sharpened and placed back into production.

Storage

Polyurethane Squeegees should always be stored flat in a dry (50% Relative Humidity) environment at room temperature (approximately 60-70°F). Storage at temperatures below 60°F may show an increase in hardness. This increase has no influence on the physical properties or the performance of the polyurethane. Under these storage conditions, the shelf life of the squeegee is approximately one year. Older squeegees often show decreased printing performance.